Fastener feeding device



March 18, 1958 R. R. CLARKE 2,327,202

FASTENER FEEDING DEVICE Filed March 23, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. ROLL/N R. CLARKE March 18, 1958 R CLARKE 2,827,202

FASTENER FEEDING DEVICE Filed March 23, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M I 4 a VIII/10mm)? 3 8 FIG.5

INVEN TOR. ROLL/N P. CLARKE A TORNEYS United States harem FASTENER FEEDING navicn Rollin R. Clarke, Waterbury, Conn, assignor to The Platent Button Company, Waterbury, Conn, a corporation of Connecticut Application March 23, 1954, Serial No. 418,697

'4 Claims. -(Cl. 221-293) The present inventionrelates to a fastener feeding device for use with machines for attaching fasteners to garments or the like.

.ably feeding many widely different types of fasteners.

Another object is to provide afastener feeding device which can interchangeably handle different types of fasteners, of widely different sizes or proportions, without the necessity of ,a shutdown to change parts or make adjustments.

Another object is to provide a fastener feeding device which enables-the use of fasteners manufactured to less exacting tolerances than heretofore.

Another object is to provide a fastener feeding device which has improved ,freedom from jamming or interruption of feeding due to interference between fasteners.

Another object is to provide a fastener feeding device whichhas reduced susceptibility'to jamming due to accumulation of dirt or lint.

Another object is to provide a fastener feeding device whicn'is capable of smooth and dependable operation at an increased fastener feeding rate.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detailhereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereafter set forth and the scope of the applica ion of which will beindicated in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side view of a fastenerfeeding device con- .structedin accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top view of the structure shown in Figure '1, illustrating one extremeposition of certain of the movable parts thereof.

FigureB ,is .avlew similar to Figure 2, illustrating another extreme position of certain of the movable parts thereof;

figure 4 is a top view of a portion of the structure s hown in .Figure 3,:with certain parts broken away and other parts articulated to show the internal arrangement i thereof;

Figure Sis .a sectional-view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure .4, taken on the line 5--5 thereof; and

Figure 6.is an elevation view of a fastener of the type with which the feeding device of the present invention is used.

As shown in Figure 6, a fastener 2 of the type with which the feeding device ofthe present invention is adapt- .ed to be employed includes a generallycylindrical stem or shankl on pneend of which is an enlarged generally ,oircular head 6. The thicknessrofthe' fastener head .6, as

:wellas the proporticns of the head and shank, will vary lar longitudinally extending chute all into one-end 12 of which a succession of fasteners is led from a suitable supply container. In the operation of the feeding'device, the fasteners are delivered from thechute at a selected rapid rate, one at a time, for further conveyance and eventual attachment to a garment or thelike. The chute it is adapted to be normally mounted in an inclined position, with itsinlet end 12 uppermost, to utilize gravity feed of the fastenersthrough at least a portion-ofits length. The chute 10 has a preferably fiat bottom 14, on which the heads 6 of 'the fasteners 2 are adapted-"to rest, and upstanding parallel longitudinally extending sides 18, 20 which are spaced apart slightly farther than the diameter of the heads of the fasteners 2, to-loosely accommodate the fasteners so they will slide freely down the chute. The fasteners are introduced into the chute ill in a head-down position, i. e., with their shanks-upstanding, as shown in Figure 1, and are properly centered and guided downthe chute by their shanks. To engage and guide the fastener shanks to keep the fasteners from inadvertently spilling out of the chute, longitudinally extending inturned fianges22,.24 are-provided on the sides 18, 20 of the chute. The opposed inner edges 26, 28 of the flanges arespacecl apart slightly farther than the thickness of the fastener shanks 4, and hence form a track inwhich the sides of' the fastener shanks are loosely confined as the fasteners slide down thechute "iii.

In sliding down the chute 10, the fasteners .2 have .a tendency to pile up on one another, so that the edges of the heads of adjacent fasteners overlap, for example in the manner shown in Figure 1. To allow for this condition, and to; prevent friction and jamming of the heads 6 of the fasteners between'the chute bottom 14 and the flanges 22, 24 whichmight be caused by such overlapping, the height of the sides 18, 2d of the chute is made as large as possible consistent with engagement of the edges 26, 28 of the flanges 22, 24 with the sides of the fastener shanks at their upper ends. This insures smooth and unrestricted gravity feed of the fasteners, and prevents the possibility of a jam in the chute.

Disposed in the bottom 14 of the chute ill at its lower end is a removable section or'shoe 39 over which each fastener is adapted to .pass as it'emerges from the feeding device. The shoe 30 is -prefer-ably doweled in place to preserve itin accurately positioned relation with the other portions of the chute 10, and its'top surface 32 is somewhat elevated relative to the remainder of the bottom 14 of the chute and is joined thereto by a ramp :34. A longitudinal central slot 36 is provided at the outer end of the shoe 3%, which exposes each fastener 2 emerging from the end of the feeding device for engagement by other conveying means, not shown, by which it is picked up and delivered to a work station for subsequent attachment to agar-mentor the like. The extreme outer or bottom end 38 of the shoe is undercut so as to lie in a generally horizontal plane in the normal operating position of the feeding device, and the end portion 40 of the top of shoe Sll is preferably slightly upwardly curved, as best shown in Figure 5, 'to facilitate emergence of the fasteners 2 from the inclined chute 10 in a generally horizontal direction.

To improve access-to the lower end of the chute and the top surface 32 0f shoe 3t? to enable cleaning'thereof and removal of any accumulated dirt, lint or the like, one side 18 of chute it is'provided with a pivotable section 42 at its lower end, which is secured to the bottom of the chute by a screw 44, and may be swung out laterally of the chute during cleaning, as shown in Figure '4. Sec tion 42 isflanged along its top edge to provide a continuation of flange 22.

For proper operation of the fastener feeding device at the high fastener delivery rates required, which may be in the range of 175 per minute, it is essential that the fasteners 2 be delivered from the lower end of chute it one at a time, at the proper rate, and with very precise timing. To provide close control of the delivery of the fasteners from the end of the chute in this manner, there is provided at the lower end of the chute an escapement 50, which is power driven at a rate determined by the desired fastener delivery rate. The escapement includes an oscillator 52 which is mounted on a pivot whose head is shown at 54, for oscillation about an axis perpendicular to the bottom 14 of the chute. Depending from the bottom of the oscillator 52 at one side thereof is a post or pin 56 which is adapted to be engaged by a reciprocable driving rod, not shown, for the purpose of oscillating the escapement at the desired rate during operation of the feeding device. 1

The oscillator 52 has upstanding sides 66, 62 which are disposed on opposite sides of chute 10 and are spaced outwardly therefrom a sulficient distance to allow pivotal movement of the oscillator without interference. To the tops of the sides 60, 62 of the oscillator are secured generally parallel flat arms 64, 66 which are disposed generally longitudinally of the chute and are arranged to closely overlie the flanges 22, 24. The extreme or lower ends of the arms 64, 66 are positioned coincident with the shoe 30, and are provided with respective large and small laterally disposed longitudinally spaced finger members 70, 72.: During pivoting of' the oscillator 52 as the escapement operates, the fingers 70, 72 are adapted to engage that portion of the shank of eachfastener which protrudes above. the flanges 22, 24, and thus control escapement of the fasteners from the chute in a predetermined manner as will be described hereinafter. If desired, the portion ofthe flanges 22, 24 adjacent the escapement arms may be reduced somewhat in thickness, as shown in Figure 5, to increase the purchase of the fingers 70, 72 on the upper extremities of the fastener shanks. I

The large and small fingers 70, 72 f the escapement may be hardened, if desired, to improve the resistance of these members to wear during operation of the feeding device. On its side 29 opposite the pivotable section 42,

the chute has a removable section 76 which is secured by screws 78 and may be hardened to resist wear.

To limit pivoting motion of the escapement oscillator 52 in one direction, as shown in Figure 2, a stop Si is secured by screws 82 to one side of the chute in a position to be engaged by the side 60 of the oscillator. The stop 80 is slotted for longitudinal adjustment and is preferably adjusted so that in the extreme position of the escapement 50 shown in Figure 2 the upper edge 86 of the small finger 72 is brought into registry with the track formed by the inner edges 26, 28 of the flanges22, 24. On the Opposite side of the chute is another stop, not shown, which is adapted to be engaged by the other side 62 of oscillator 52 and is likewise longitudinally ad justable to permit adjustment of the other extreme position of the escapement, as shown in Figure 3. in this position of escapement 54 the upper edge 88 of the large finger is positioned in registry with the fastener. track, so as to intercept the shank 4 of a fastener 2 coming down the chute. V

In the operation of the escapement'50, the arms oscillate back and forth across the tops of the flanges 22,

24. A fastener coming down the" chute is disposed, as

previously explained, with its head 6 resting on the bottom 14 of the chute 1t) and with its shank 4 in a generally 4 upright position and protruding at its upper end from between the inner edges 26, 28 of the flanges 22, 24. The fastener is first engaged by the upper edge 83 of the large finger 76 of escapement as shown in Figure 3, and this prevents farther travel of the fastener down the chute except under the regulation of the escapement. As the escapement is then pivoted toward the position shown in Figure 2, the larger finger is withdrawn from engagement with the fastener shank, and as the fastener slides farther down the chute the upper edge 86 of the small finger 72 is brought into registry with the path of the fastener and engages the fastener shank 4 as shown in Figure 2. As the escapement then moves'back toward the position shown in Figure'3, the upper edge 86 of small finger 72- is withdrawn from engagement with the shank of the fastener and the lower edge 99 of the large finger is brought into engagement with the shank and cams or positively drives the fastener down the re mainder of the chute and out its lower end.

With this arrangement, it may be seen that the rate of delivery of fasteners from the feeding device can be directly controlled in. accordance with the rate of oscillation of escapement 50. Moreover, the lower edge 94) of the large finger is so shaped as to remain in driving contact with the fastener shank as it cams the fastener out of the end of the chute, and the timing of the delivery of the fastener can thus be controlled very precisely.

As previously explained, the thickness of the fastener heads 6, the length of the shanks 4, and the relative proportions of the heads and shanks of various types of fasteners with which the feeding device may be employed may vary widely for different applications. Since the sides 13, 2% of the chute are made as high as possible consistent with engagement of the fastener shanks in the track formed between the flanges 22, 24 to prevent jamming of overlapped fasteners in the chute, it will be recognized that generally a very small portion of each fastener shank protrudes above the flanges 22, 24 for en gagement by the fingers 70, 72 of escapement 59. Thus with fasteners of the type having a short shank or a thin head, the possibility exists that the escapement fingers 7t), 72 will pass completely over the tops of the shanks 4, failing to engage them altogether, or will scrape over the tops of the shanks and jam the fasteners in the chute. To avoid such difficulties, and to increase the adaptability of the feeding device to a variety of fasteners having a wide range of head and shank proportions, the top surface 32 of the shoe 30 is somewhat elevated relative to the remainder of the bottom 14 of the chute.

This elevated portion 32 of shoe 36 causes fasteners passing over it to be raised up toward the overlying flanges 22, 24, and increases the proportion of the shank of each fastener which protrudes above the flanges adjacent the escapement fingers 70, 72. This affords the fingers 70,72 7 of the escapement a better purchase on the shank of each fastener passing through the escapement, thereby permitting more positive and accurate control of the fastener by the escapement. Moreover, with this arrangement, it may be appreciated that fasteners with a wide range of shank lengths may be accommodated in a given feeding device without the necessity of varying the spacing of the flanges 22, 24 above the bottom of the chute, as might otherwise be necessary to avoid a condition in which the escapement fingers 70, 72 might pass over the tops of the fastener shanks 4 or otherwise fail to come into normal engagement with them.

As a result of the elevation of the fasteners asthey pass over the shoe 30, however, and the decreased spacing thus afforded for theheads 6 of the fasteners between the flanges 22, 24 and the top 32 of the shoe 30, fasteners which may happen to arrive at the shoe 30 with their heads i mr wi b a precia ed h s pa t u ar yt l ke yrwi ia teners of the type ,having relatively thick heads-6. This conditionmay prevent the escapement 50 from properly engaging the fastener shanks oneaat attime, or may cause mutilationof the fasteners by the escapement or a complete stoppage of flow of .the fasteners through the feeding device, requiringa complete shutdown ;of the feeding device until the jam is cleared out.

To eliminate this difficulty, vand to enable an'increased elevation of-thefasteners by the shoe 3% and a resulting increase in purchasetof the escapement fingers on the fastener shanks to be as large as possible, while avoiding jamming of the fasteners at the escapement 5i due to overlapping or otherwise, means are provided to deliver fasteners to the escapement 511 one at a time andat a rate such that there will be no more than one fastener entering the escapement ata time. For this purpose, there is provided on the chute upwardly spaced from the escapement 50 a second escapement 106.

The second escapement 190 includes a wheel 102 pivotally mounted at one .side20 of the chute it) for-rotation in aplane parallel to the:bottom '14 of the chute. The wheel 102 is arranged so that its peripheryextends into the space between the opposed inner edges 26, 28of the fianges 22, 24, and to accommodate the wheel in this position a portion of one flange 24-is cut away to form a recess 104. The periphery of the wheel 192 is provided with a notch 106 of the proper size and shape to receive the shank4 of asingle fastener and escape the same from the upper portion of chute down past the escapement 1B0. Theoperation of the upper escapement 100 is synchronized with that of the lower escapement 50, and to this end the wheel 102 is preferably drivingly connected to thelowerescapement by a link 108 pivotallysecured at one end to the Wheel and pivotally securedat-its othertend to a bracket ,110 mounted on the lower escapement 50. The notch 106 is ,so positioned in 1wheel102 as to be disposed in fastener-receiving relation with the path of the fastener shanks when the wheel 192 is rotated to the extreme positiomshown in Figure 2, and the other extreme position of the wheel 102 is arrangedto bring the notch 166 into discharging registry with the lower portion of the fastener track asshowntinFigure 3.

With this arrangement, when the parts are in the position shown in Figure 3 .of the drawings the wheel 102 of upper escapement 109 blocks .the path of travel of the fasteners down the chute. As the oscillator of the lower escapement is pivotedand brings the .upper and lower esare then pivoted to the position shown inFigure 3, and the leading fastener is carried by the upper escapement wheel down the chute to a point where it is then free to slide down into engagement with the lower escapement. The rate of oscillation of the two escapements is preferably such that each fastener escaped by the upper escapement 100 is flung or ejected from its notch 1% at a velocity much higher than that obtainable by gravity alone, and in this way the fastener arrives at the lower escapement 50 before the lower escapement has moved very far from the position shown in Figure 3, and the fastener is thus intercepted by the upper edge 88 of the large finger 70. As the lower escapement moves back toward the position shown in Figure 2, withdrawing the large finger 74 from engagement with the fastener shank and permitting the fastener to slide farther down the track into engagement with the upper edge 86 of the small finger 72, the upper escapement Wheel 1112 rotates into receiving engagement with the next fastener. As the lower escapement then starts to move back toward the position shown in Figure 3, and the lower edge 90 of the large finger 70 cams the first fastener down the remainder of the chute and out its lower end, the upper escapement ejects the second fastener down th ch nt e gag ment w h the u p surface ,88'of largefinger 7.0,,as shown inFigure 3.

shoe 30can be increased sufficiently to extend the fastener shanks above the flanges Z2, 24 a substantial amount, and thereby insure an excellent purchase for the fingers70, 72 of the escapement, even though such an elevation of the top 32 of shoe 30 reducesits spacing from the flanges 22, 24 to the point where overlapping of fastener heads 6 would be certain to cause a jam.

The increased purchase and jam-free operation thus provided at the lower escapement permits fasteners with thin heads or shortshank proportions to be run through the feeding .device without requiring a shutdown for change or adjustment of shoe 39, and also permits accommodation of fasteners with relatively thick heads without danger of a jam. Thus the feeding device can accommodate a wide variety of fasteners, and permits fasteners of any one type to be manufactured to less exacting tolerances. Moreover, since the fasteners are preferably guided down the chute by their shanks, the capacity of the feeding device to accommodatefasteners with a wide range of shank lengths enables fasteners with proportionately varying head sizes to be interchangeably accommodated therein, and thus substantially increases the utility of the feeding device.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments offthis invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the'accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and-not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in thefollowing claims is intended to cover all ofsthe generic and specific features of the invention herein vdescribed and -all statements of the scope or" the invention which, as a matterof language, might be saidto'fall therebetween.

I claim:

,1. Ina fastener feeding device for use :with a fastener attaching machine to feed fasteners of the type having ahead and a shank from a supply of such fasteners to :a

tucker mechanism and the like for subsequent delivery to an attaching station comprising a vertically inclined elongated chute having an upper end adapted to receive a row of juXtapoSed'fasteners, a first escapement oscillatably mounted betweenthe ends of the chute engageable with thelowermostfastener in a row thereof as described to prevent passage of the fasteners in a row down the chute and having means to receive only the lowermost fastener upon movement of the escapement in one direction and to propel the received fastener down the chute in response to movement of the escapement in the reverse direction, a second escapement oscillatably mounted between the first escapement and the lower end of the chute having a pair of fastener arresting means spaced longitudinally of the chute and mounted for simultaneous movement in opposite directions toward and away from the chute and further having a cam mounted for movement simultaneously with and in the same direction as the fastener arresting means located closer to the upper end of the chute for engagement with a fastener upon release thereof by the lower of the fastener arresting means to propel the fastener toward and out of the lower end of the chute, and means connecting the first and second escapements for simultaneous movement thereof in a fastener propelling direction to provide that only one fastener may be disposed in the chute between the escapements at any one time.

2. In a fastener feeding device for use with a fastener attaching machine, and adapted to feed a fastener to a separate tucker mechanism on the machine for. subsequent feeding of thefastener to a loading station on the machine, a vertically inclined chute adapted to receive in its upper end a row of fasteners disposed in a head down position'with their shanks generally perpendicular to the bottom of the chute, said chute having upstanding sides With spaced apart flanges extending longitudinally of the top edge thereof providing a track engageable with the fastener shanks for guiding the fasteners down the chute, said chute sides being of suflicient height to permit overlapping of the heads of adjacent fasteners of substantially varying head thicknesses without jamming between the flanges and the bottom of the chute, the bottom of said chute adjacent said outlet end being curved toward said flanges, a portion of the bottom of the chute upwardly of and next adjacent the curved bottom portion being substantially raised relative to the upper end portion of the bottom of the chute to elevate a fastener at right angles relative to said flanges, a first escapement overlying the raised portion of the chute bottom engageable with the portion of a shankof a fastener projecting above said flanges to eject said fasteners from said chute one at a time for subsequent engagement by a tucker mechanism and the like, and a second escapement on said chute spaced upwardly of the chute relative to the first escapement and engageable with the lowermost fastener of a row of fasteners disposed thereabove in said chute to prevent passage of said fasteners in a row down the chute and operable to release only the lowermost fastener for passage down the chute, and

' means connecting said first and second escapement for operation in timed relation to each other.

3. Ina fastener feeding device for use with a fastener attaching machine, a vertically inclined chute adapted to receive into its upper end a row of fasteners disposed in a head-down position with their shanks generally perpendicular to the bottom of the chute, said chute having upstanding sides provided with flanges directed inwardly of the chute and forming a guide track for the shanks of said fasteners, said chute sides being of suflicient height to permit overlapping of the heads of adjacent fasteners of substantially varying head thicknesses without jamming between the flanges and the bottom of the chute, a first escapement intermediate the ends of the chute engageable with'the lowermost fastener in a row thereof as described to prevent passage of said fasteners in a row down the chute and operable to release only the lowermost fastener for passage down the chute, a second escapement disposed intermediate the first escapement and the lower end of the chute overlying said flanges and adapted to engage the portion of the shank of a fastener projecting and atshoe forming the lower end of the bottom'of said chute and having a top surface includinga lowerend portion curved toward said flanges, an intermediate portion beneath said second escapement spaced substantially above the upper end portion of the bottom of the chute and an inclined upper end portion joining said intermediate portion and the upper endportion of the chute bottom whereby a fastener passing over said intermediate portion is elevated at right angles to said flanges to increase the projection of its shank above said flanges;

In a fastener feeding device for use with a fastener attaching machine, an elongated inclined chute having a fiat bottom, upright sides and a pair of spaced apart flanges along the upper longitudinal edges of the sides directed inwardly of the chute and forming a guide track, said sides and flanges extending longitudinally beyond the lower end of said bottom, a pivoted plate extending laterally of said sides and having a notch registrable with said guide track and movable between a position facing upwardly of the chute to a position facing downwardly of the chute, a pair of arms disposed on opposite sides of the chute and overlying said flanges mounted for simultaneous pivotal movement laterally of the chute, one of said arms having a shoulder extending laterallytof and facing upwardly of said chute, the other of said arms having a similar shoulder spaced downwardly of the chute from the corresponding shoulder. on said one arm, said one arm further having a cam surface inclined laterally and downwardly of the chute from the end of said shoulder thereon, a link connecting said arms and plate for movement together, and a shoe extending from' the lower end of the chute bottom and having a top surface including a flat portion intermediate the ends thereof registering with said shoulders onsaid arms and disposed parallel with and substantially above the chute bottom, an inclined upper end portion joining said chute bottom and intermediate portion, and a lower end portion curving toward said flanges. 7

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 545,218 Bernstein Aug. 27, 1895 950,200 Acee Feb. 22, 1910 1,079,968 White Dec. 2, 1913' 1,109,098 White Sept. 1, 1914 2,245,165 Spry June 10, 1941 2,265,574 Peterson Dec. 9, 1941 2,477,100 Treciokas July'26, 1949 2,591,285 Overly Apr. 1, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS 209,335 Germany Apr. 29, '1909 

